SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Crime & Deviance
Topic
Functionalist, strain & subcultural theories of crime & deviance
Key Sociologists
Durkheim, Merton, A.K Cohen, Cloward & Ohlin
Key terminology;
Anomie, strain theory,the American dream, status frustration
Possible questions
Examine the role of access to opportunity structures in causing crime & deviance (12 marks)
Examine some of the ways in which functionalist explain crime (12 marks)
Examine some of the reasons for the existence of deviant subcultures (12 marks)
Text book pages 72-79
Topic
Labelling theory of crime & deviance
Key Sociologists
Becker, Cicourel, Lemert, Jock Young, Stanley Cohen, Braithwaite
Key terminology;
Primary & secondary deviance, deviance amplification, moral panics, folk devils
Possible questions:
Assess the view that crime and deviance are the product of the labelling process (21 marks)
Text book pages 80-85
Topic
Marxist theories of crime & deviance
Key Sociologists
David Gordon, Chambliss, Snider, Pearce, Carson; Neo-Marxism -Taylor, Walton & Young
SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Key terminology
Criminogenic capitalism, neo Marxism – critical criminology, ideological functions
Possible questions
Examine some of the ways Marxists explain crime (12 marks)
Assess the view that crime & deviance is the product of capitalist society (21 marks)
Text book pages 86-91
Topic
Realist theories of crime & deviance
Key sociologists;
Right realists - Charles Murray, Ron Clarke, Wilson & Kelling
Left realists – Jock Young, Kinsey, Lea & Young,
Key terminology;
Left realism, right realism, marginalisation, late modernity, the underclass
Possible questions;
Examine the ways in which realist explain crime (12 marks)
Assess the value of the right realist approach to crime & deviance (21 marks)
Text book pages 92-99
Topic
Gender crime & justice
Key Sociologists/evidence;
Official statistics, Heidensohn, Carlen, Smart, Box, Lombroso & Ferrero, Parsons, Cohen, Adler,
Messerschmidt, Windlow
Key terminology
Chivalry thesis, liberation thesis, masculinity, sex-role theory, patriarchal control
Possible questions
Examine the reasons for the gender difference in crime & deviance (12 marks)
SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Assess the value of the ‘chivalry thesis’ in understanding gender differences in crime (21 marks)
Assess the view that gender is the best predictor of criminality (21 marks)
Text book pages 100-109
Topic
Ethnicity, crime & justice
Key sociologists/evidence
Official statistics, Phillips & Bowling, Macpherson report, Lea & Young, Paul Gilroy, Stuart Hall,
Sampsom & Phillips
Key terminology
Victimisation, criminal justice system,
Possible questions
Examine some of the reasons for ethnic differences in experiences of the criminal justice system (12
marks)
Assess the view that the criminal justice system is inherently racist (21 marks)
Text book pages 110-117
Topic
Crime & the media
Key sociologists
Williams & Dickinson, Schramm, Gerber, Richard Sparks, Stanley Cohen,
Key terminology
News values, moral panics, symbolisation, cyber crime,
Possible questions
Examine the ways in which the media stimulate moral panics and create folk devils (12 marks)
Assess the view that the media is responsible for an increase in crime and deviance (21 marks)
Text book pages 118-125
SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Topic
Globalisation, green crime, human rights & state crime
Key sociologists
Castrells, Taylor, Windlow, Misha Glenny, Rob White, Nigel South, Eugene McLaughlin, Michalowski
& Kramer, Herman & Schwendinger, Sykes & Matza, Cohen, Kelman & Hamilton
Key terminology
Globalisation, McMafia, ‘Glocal’ organisations, green criminology, ‘global risk society’, transgressive
criminology, Primary green crimes, secondary green crimes, state crimes, human rights, the spiral of
denial, neutralisation techniques
Possible questions
Examine the relationship between crimes against the environment and the process of globalisation
(12 marks)
Assess the view that globalisation has caused an increase in crime & deviance (21 marks)
Text book pages 126-135
Topic
Control punishment and victims
Key sociologists/ evidence
Ron Clarke, Wilson & Kelling, Perry preschool project, Whyte, Durkheim, Foucault, Melossi &
Pavarini, Garland, Miers, Tombs & Whyte
Key terminology
Situational crime prevention, displacement, zero tolerance policing, deterrence, rehabilitation,
incapacitation, mass incarceration, transcarceration, positivist victimology, critical victimology,
patterns of victimisation
Possible questions
Assess sociological views of crime reduction strategies (21 marks)
Text book pages 136-145
SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Topic
Suicide
Key sociologists
Durkheim, Douglas, Sainsbury& Barraclough, Gibbs and Maritn, Atkinson, Barry Hindess, Taylor,
Key terminology
Anomie, anomic suicide, egoistic suicide, fatalistic suicide, status integration, submissive suicide,
thanatation suicides, ectopic suicide, symphysic suicide
Possible questions
Assess the usefulness of different sociological approaches to suicide (21 marks)
Text book pages 146-153
Research Methods
Topic Crime & deviance – the research context
Key topics/contexts
Domestic violence, violent crime, corporate crimes, young offenders, victims of crime, courts & legal
profession, the police, suicide
Possible questions – all of these contexts could be used in your methods in context essay – if you are
familiar with then it will help you answer that 15 mark question
Text book pages 160-165
Topic; Experiments
Key sociologists; Zimbardo, Bandura
Key terminology; positivists, interpretivists, validity, reliability, representativeness, ethics, laboratory
experiments, Field experiments, the ‘tougher regimes project’
Possible questions
Outline and critically assess the arguments for using experiments in sociology (33marks)
SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Assess the strengths & weaknesses of using experiments to investigate power and authority in
prisons (15 marks)
Text book pages 166- 173
Topic Questionnaires
Key sociologists; Venkatesh,
Key terminology; positivists, interpretivists, validity, reliability, representativeness, ethics, sampling –
random, quasi-random, stratified random, quota, snowball, opportunity, open/closed questions,
lying & bias
Possible questions
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using questionnaires in sociological research
(33marks)
Assess the strengths & weakness of using questionnaires to investigate violent crime (15 marks)
Assess the strengths & weaknesses of using questionnaire to investigate police behaviour (15marks)
Text book pages 174 - 181
Topic Interviews
Key sociologists/evidence; Becker, Oakley, Davies, Maguire, Hoyle, British Crime Survey (BCS)
Key terminology; Positivists, interpretivists, validity, reliability, representativeness, ethics,
structured/semi structured/unstructured,
Possible questions
Assess the value of interviews in sociological research (33marks)
Assess the strengths & weaknesses of using structured interviews to investigate the real rate of
street crime (15 marks)
Text book pages 182 - 193
SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Topic Observation
Key sociologists; Punch, Humphereys, Hobbs, Patrick, Ditton
Key terminology; positivists, interpretivists, validity, reliability, representativeness, ethics, getting
in/staying in/getting out, insight, access, overt/covert, ‘going native’, the Hawthorne effect,
structure Vs action, verstehen
Possible questions
Assess the usefulness of observation in sociological research (33 marks)
Assess the strengths & weaknesses of using observation to investigate the judicial process (15
marks)
Text book pages 194 - 203
Topic Secondary Sources
Key sociologists; Walby, Robb, Braithwaite, Sharp, Holland
Key terminology; positivists, interpretivists, validity, reliability, representativeness, ethics, official
statistics, documents, content analysis, formal content analysis, thematic content analysis
Possible questions
Outline the sources of secondary data that sociologists use and assess their advantages &
disadvantages
Assess the strengths & weaknesses of using official statistic to investigate youth crime.
Assess the strengths & weaknesses of using public & personal documents to investigate corporate
crime (15 marks)
Text book pages; 204 – 215
Sociological Theory
Topic; Functionalism
Key sociologists; Parsons, Durkheim, Merton, Dennis Wrong
Key terminology; CONSENSUS, STRUCTURAL, Value consensus, social order, socialisation,
manifest/latent functions, ‘building block’ approach, indispensability, functional unity, universal
functionalism
SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Possible questions
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the functionalist approach to society (33 marks)
Text book pages 220 - 225
Topic; Marxism
Key sociologists; Marx, Gramsci, Althusser, Paul Willis, Ian Craib,
Key terminology; CONFLICT, STRUCTURAL, class consciousness, capitalism, exploitation, proletariat,
bourgeoisie, ideology, alienation, economic determinism, humanistic/critical- scientific/structural,
hegemony,
Possible questions
Critically evaluate Marxist perspectives in today’s society (33 marks)
Text book pages 226-233
Topic Feminist theories
Key sociologists Oakley, Barrett, Hartman, Greer, Walby, Anne Pllert, Jenny Sommerville, Judith
Butler
Key terminology Sex, gender, liberal/reformist, radical, Marxist, difference, black, dual systems,
patriarchy, essentialism
Possible questions
Assess the usefulness of feminist contributions to our understanding of society today. (33 marks)
Text book pages 234 - 241
Topic Action theories
SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Key sociologists
Key terminology
Possible questions
Text book pages 242-251
Topic Globalisation, modernity & postmodernity
Key sociologists
Key terminology
Possible questions
Text book pages 252-259
Topic Sociology & Science
Key sociologists
Key terminology
Possible questions
Text book pages 260 -269
Topic Sociology & values in sociology
Key sociologists
Key terminology
Possible questions
Text book pages 270-275
SCLY 4 -Crime & Deviance Revision
Topic Sociology & social policy
Key sociologists
Key terminology
Possible questions
Text book pages 276 -281